


Beneath a Moonless Sky

by YourObedientPhantom



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Love Never Dies - Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Angst, F/M, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 18:36:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11087568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourObedientPhantom/pseuds/YourObedientPhantom
Summary: What really happened that night beneath a moonless sky? How did she find the Phantom's hiding place? Why was Christine so upset when the Phantom reappeared after ten years?





	Beneath a Moonless Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Not a warning, but just so you know:  
> This does not contain smut! It's CLEAN! :)

I remember feeling strange that evening. The evening of that night. The night before my wedding. I can't really describe the feeling. I only knew it wasn't normal. Meg thought it might be wedding nerves, but I thought differently. She was my maid of honor. We were having so much fun, giggling like the little ballet girls we used to be, listening to the rolling thunder in the distance. The sun was just starting to set at the time.

'You must be thrilled,' Meg laughed. 'The Vicomte de Chagny.' She mimicked the way Raoul posed at the lower class. It was the way he held out his chest and lowered his eyelids that made him feel so much better than anyone else.

I giggled in response, mimicking him as well. 'You're looking at the Vicomtess de Chagny.'

Meg laughed. 'He better not spoil you. You'll be even more of a brat,' she joked.

'Oh, but he must spoil me! I'm his wife!' I teased. We acted like little girls, joking about marriage, teasing Raoul behind his back.

A far away streak of lightening lit up the sky outside as our laughter began to fade. I remember the strange feeling amplifying into fear when our laughter was completely gone. I remember Meg's smile slowly turn into a sigh.

'Christine,' she whispered. 'There's something I ought to tell you.'

I knew then that something was definitely wrong. 'Oh, Meg,' I sighed. I didn't want anything to ruin my wedding day.

'Listen to me,' she snapped, taking my hands. 'It's important. I've been hiding it for so long, but I can't anymore.'

'Meg, if this is about the Opera—'

'Quiet!' she demanded. I shut my mouth. Meg was beginning to remind me of her mother. 'It is about the Opera. It's about him.'

My stomach turned. So many emotions hit me at that moment, it would take too long to list all of them. But I specifically remember love and hate battling each other for the dominance of my thoughts.

'He isn't dead,' Meg told me. 'He's alive.'

Maybe it was hope that pushed the two main emotions aside. But perhaps it was fear. Either way, my heart jumped.

'My mother and I... We've... We know where he is. He told us not to tell you. He threatened to kill us, in fact,' she shrugged. 'I know you're getting married tomorrow, I realize that. But Mom says he's been acting so different now. He's so alone, Christine. I just want him to feel... normal.' She had a hard time explaining things.

I was speechless. A disgusting thought came into my head, but I quickly pushed it away. I have a second chance, I thought. No! I would never do that to poor Raoul! I shook my head, almost violently.

'Christine, please,' Meg begged me. Those huge, sad eyes stared into my soul. I suppose love had overcome fear and hatred because I finally gave up fighting.

I sighed heavily, 'Okay. But I only want to tell him that I can never see him again. Nothing else.'

Meg sighed in relief, loosening her grip on my hands. 'Thank you, Christine,' she smiled faintly.

'And you have to promise to stay by my side,' I urged.

Meg nodded. 'Come along,' she said, standing up. 'We must go before the rain starts.'

 

I suppose the reason love won me over was because I was reminded of how he let me go. He loved me more than any of his talents and I didn't love him back. I was young and in love with the most beautiful man whom I am to marry tomorrow. That monster loved me so much that he let Raoul and me leave his terrible lair. I know he didn't want me to go, but I did anyways. I almost felt guilty. Then I remembered all of his disgusting actions and realized why I had left in the first place. That's why I need to be cautious when I see him one last time.

Five minutes, I told myself. Five minutes and then I'll go. I'll apologize to him and forgive him and then tell him I can never see him again. That's it. I won't even look him in the eye. Those terrifying, glowing eyes.

Meg led me to some place I was unfamiliar to. I had no idea where we were. When I said I wasn't sure where we were, Meg told me I wasn't supposed to know. She said it would be too dangerous for me to try and find him again. Not that I would attempt to, but she had a fair point. I could hardly see where my feet landed on the ground. The new moon was hidden behind the clouds. Even if it were not hidden, we wouldn't be able to see it. Our path was ill lit by the weak flame of a candle Meg held out in front of her. She held my hand firmly as she led me down an uneven cobblestone road. The strange feeling grew stronger as we approached what appeared to be an old abandon hotel. We must have been three or four miles away from the city by then.

'We're here,' Meg whispered. 'He probably knows I'm here. Stay close to me.'

'Trust me,' I gasped, 'I'm not leaving your side for one second.'

We made our way down the cracked pavement to the grand entrance. The doors were off the hinges. I couldn't see much besides the doors. Once inside, Meg picked up a lantern and lit it. I could see vines crawling up the walls of the mildew-smelling room. A shadow of a tall figure was visible across from us.

'He's on the balcony,' Meg told me. I squeezed her hand nervously as we approached the figure. Meg dimmed the lantern. 'Monsieur?'

Silence.

'Monsieur Phantom,' Meg repeated.

'Meg,' the shape whispered grimly. I almost couldn't hear him. 'Christine.'

His musical voice filled my head as he hummed my name. Despite my nervousness and fear, I felt strangely calm at the sound of his voice. I missed my voice lessons from the Angel of Music.

'Meg, leave,' Erik demanded, still facing away from us. 'Now!'

My heart pounded as Meg's grip became loose. I held onto her with both hands. She shook free, staring at me with sad, scared eyes. She couldn't disobey the ghost. Meg mouthed 'Sorry' to me and jogged away, taking the only light with her.

'Christine,' he droned. 'It really is you.' I assumed he had turned to face me now. A strike of lightening behind him revealed to me that my hypothesis was correct. But I still couldn't see his face.

'Erik,' I whispered. I tried as best as I could to feel around for the railing of the balcony. I felt a soft skeleton hand lightly guide my own hand to the railing. 'You're alive.'

'Am I?' he sighed. 'I feel like I am in hell.'

I was silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say. I remembered Raoul. My wedding.

'Erik,' I said softly, 'there's something I should tell you.' I dreaded his response. 'I am to be wed tomorrow morning to Raoul.'

He didn't reply. Thunder growled far away.

'I'm sorry,' I continued, 'but I cannot see you again—ever. It has to be this way. I came to say goodbye.'

The air was silent for a moment, as if time stopped. 'I see,' he said at last.

I place my hand on his cold, bony hand. 'Please forgive me. Not just for marrying Raoul, but everything else that I may have done to hurt you.'

Erik's other hand was placed on top of mine. He held my hand in both of his. 'I forgive you. And I hope that you can forgive me.'

'I forgive you,' I replied. My voice shattered as tears formed in my eyes. Don't cry, I told myself. There's nothing to be sad about. But there was. I was marrying Raoul. I'd never get to hear my Angel's beautiful voice ever again. Despite my emotion, I held back the tears very well. I don't think Erik noticed as he let go on my hand.

I shuffled closer to him and placed my hand on his forearm, then slid up to his humerus. I couldn't reach his shoulder. I could almost feel his pulse through his shirt. And then he kissed me. I could tell he wasn't wearing the mask. His cold lips pressed against my own as I heard the "doors" of the hotel rattle and I knew Meg had left us alone. I feared she would tell Raoul, but I trusted her not to and let it slip from my mind.

The rest of the story played out just as the reader may imagine. The story of what happened that night had been told before, so there's no need to go back on those pleasures once again. But I remember how free I felt that night. At last, our feelings bared beneath a moonless sky.

 

It was probably around two in the morning when I awoke. I kept my eyes shut in case Erik was watching me. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him. I was going to swear my love to him. Forget marrying Raoul, I thought. We can run away! Start a new life, away from Paris. Perhaps in a whole new country. I'd follow him anywhere he led.

'Erik, I—,' I said sharply, turning to find an empty space next to me. 'Erik?' I asked. 'Erik?' He was gone. I can't describe how heartbroken I felt. I thought he would stay with me forever. I was wrong. I was wrong about our love. I was wrong about his heart. At that moment, I thought he had run away because he didn't need me anymore. He got what he wanted from me and left. I know now that's not true, but it felt horrible then. I was appalled by the thought and began vomiting uncontrollably.

I guess Meg had come back once she knew someone had left. 'Christine!' she shouted, running to my side. 'I thought you had gone. Where is he? Are you alright?' She put her hand on my back.

As my stomach finally calmed down, I shivered underneath the blanket Meg had thrown over my shoulders. 'He left. That hideous creature left me.'

'Oh, Christine,' Meg attempted to comfort me. In all honesty, it was working. 'I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have made you... Let's get you home, now. You have to be back before sunrise or someone will notice you've gone.'

She helped me into my nightgown that I had thrown on the floor. Meg made me leave the blanket although I was freezing to the bone. I knew Meg didn't like keeping this big of a secret. She had always been the one to gossip. But this time she decided it would be better if she kept quiet. That night, I was condemned to the eternal fires of hell. I played the Devil's game and found myself falling closer to my grave. God had turned away from me. I suppose I deserved it.

 

Meg forced me to go to bed when we got back home. I was too exhausted to argue and sat in my own bed while Meg sat on the foot of my bed.

'What happened?' she asked.

I was so shocked by the question, my face flushed with red and my eyes darted away from her gaze.

'I mean why did he leave?' she corrected herself.

I shook my head slowly. 'I don't know,' I shrugged. 'I... Meg, I feel different about him. I was going to run away with him, but he was gone. Oh, what am I going to do?'

'You can't just back out on your marriage today!' Meg stated. 'And you can't run away on your own.'

'Come with me,' I suggested.

'Christine, we wouldn't get anywhere without a man,' she said. She was right. In this era, we would be forced to work as prostitutes.

I sighed. Tears of frustration trickled down my face. 'I just want to know what I want.'

'I wish I could help you,' Meg sighed. 'Go to sleep now. You'll have to wake up in a few hours.'

I tried to go to sleep. I guess I eventually fell asleep because before I knew it, morning had arrived. Everyone was so excited that morning. Everyone except for me.

'What's wrong, Christine?'

'Aren't you excited for your big day?'

'You must be thrilled!'

I was relieved when Raoul failed to notice how distant I was. He dismissed my strange behavior as wedding nerves. For whatever reason, Raoul and I decided to wait for a week or so while we considered a child. I dreaded the upcoming weeks solely for the reason that I didn't want to know if I had fallen pregnant with Erik's child. Horror struck me when I realized my secret fear was reality. Thank God Raoul hadn't noticed my symptoms as I hid them very well.

After I had told Raoul that I was pregnant, he was delighted. He wished desperately for a strong baby boy, while I hoped for a sweet little girl. But I also dread what this child may look like. Would he have the curse Erik had? Would he have his incredible talent? His murderous habits?

When Gustave was born, my fears of Raoul finding out had vanished. He was a beautiful baby boy who looked so much like me. Raoul tried to blame his early musical talent on me and my father. He reminded me that I was very musical at such a young age. But I knew his abilities were obviously inherited from Erik. Gustave inherited my physical appearance and Erik's incredible talent. By the time he was three, Gustave learned how to create music on the piano in our home.

Every time I stared at Gustave, I wondered what life would be like if I had stayed with Erik. What if Erik and I raised him? Sometimes the light would catch Gustave's eyes perfectly to remind me of the glowing yellow eyes I had almost fallen in love with. But I had fallen in love with Gustave's eyes. They were perfect. I couldn't believe how beautiful this child was. I could rave on and on about how talented and handsome he is.

But whenever I stared at Gustave, no matter how hard I tried not to, I was always reminded of the night I can't forget. I will never regret that night. The night beneath a moonless sky.


End file.
